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This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival
material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are
physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available
through the World Wide Web. See the
section for more information.

This collection was rehoused under the sponsorship of a grant from the National Endowment
for the Humanities, Office of Preservation, Washington, D.C., 1990-1992.

Cornelius Dabney, University of Virginia student and school teacher, was the son of
William Winton (b. 1816) and Martha Ann Bosher Dabney of Richmond, and later Enfield,
King William County, Va. The collection is a diary kept by Dabney between 1863 and 1869, documenting a summer
spent at home in 1863, his attendance at the University of Virginia in 1863 and 1864,
the disruption of his life by the Civil War, and his attempts to support himself as
a school teacher after the war. Dabney described farm work at home, including the
production of wheat, and the family's social activities. At the University of Virginia,
he wrote about his attendance at lectures, his studies of Latin and other subjects,
and his professors, including Basil Lanneau Gildersleeve (1831-1924) and Maximilian
Schele De Vere (1820-1898). He also wrote about participating in Baptist Church activities,
including forming a young men's prayer meeting in Charlottesville, and the Albemarle
Mutial Relief Association, which was formed to combat the high prices of goods during
the war. A few diary entries relate to Dabney's teaching career in Virginia and Mississippi.

Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants,
as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], in the Cornelius Dabney Diary #201-z, Southern Historical
Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Alternate Form of Material

Typed transcription, 44 p., available.

All or part of this collection is available on microfilm from University Publications
of America as part of the Records of ante-bellum southern plantations from the Revolution
through the Civil War, Series J.

Acquisitions Information

Unknown.

Sensitive Materials Statement

Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or
confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy
laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. §
132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of
State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.).
Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to
identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent
of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under
common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's
private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable
person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no
responsibility.

The following terms from
Library of Congress Subject
Headings
suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the
entire collection; the terms do
not usually represent
discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or
items.

Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's
online catalog.

Cornelius Dabney (1844-1874) was the son of William Winton Dabney (b. 1816) and Martha
Ann Bosher Dabney (fl. 1863-1865) of Richmond, and later Enfield, King William County,
Va. He married Mary Nicol of New Orleans, La., and had two children, Cornelius, Jr.,
and Katherine Nicol.

Cornelius Dabney attended the University of Virginia in 1863. He operated a school
near his home in Enfield from 1866 to 1868, and later worked with his brother-in-law,
Dr. Tucker, at a school in Magnolia, Miss.

This collection consists of a diary, kept between 1863 and 1869. The diary was chiefly
kept by Cornelius Dabney; there is one entry written by his father in April 1863,
on the date of his birthday. Cornelius began his diary on 10 August 1863 while he
was spending his summer at his parents' home in King William County, Va. He wrote
about his daily activities and the activities of his family, including work on the
farm as well as social activities. One of the Dabneys's major crops was wheat, and
Cornelius wrote about their taking the wheat to the mill. He and his brothers would
occasionally help Mr. Harris, the miller, with his work. Other crops mentioned are
corn, potatoes, and oats.

Cornelius also occasionally mentioned his Uncle James White, his Uncle Bushrod and
Aunt Jennie who lived close by at Oakwood, and other relatives. Cornelius noted playing
many games of chess.

Cornelius was a member of the Baptist Church, and he recorded his attendance at prayer
meetings and Sunday school at churches in Beulah and Hebron, Va. On 19 September,
he mentioned attending a meeting of the "Association" in Beulah.

There are scattered references in the diary to the Civil War and its effects. On 15
August, Cornelius mentioned that a friend of his had been killed at Gettysburg. While
on an expedition to Richmond, he noted the high prices of some articles he purchased.
He also mentioned meeting with Lt. Roane and his squad, who were searching for deserters
and conscripts.

On 30 September 1863, Cornelius left for the University of Virginia with his friend,
Josie Gwathmey, who was perhaps a cousin. They boarded with two other young men, Luther
Broaddus and Joe Clarke, at the home of Dr. William F. Broaddus, a Baptist preacher.
Cornelius described matriculating at the University, attending lectures, and studying
Latin and other subjects. He commented on his professors, including Basil Lanneau
Gildersleeve (1831-1924) and Maximilian Schele De Vere (1820-1898), who taught Latin.
Cornelius frequently mentioned visiting Kate Fife and other young ladies. He was involved
with organizing a young men's Baptist prayer meeting and conducted one of the sessions.

On 31 October, Cornelius noting attending a meeting of the Albemarle Mutual Relief
Association. This organization was formed to try to combat the high prices brought
about by the war, by buying in bulk at good prices and selling the items to shareholders.

After December 1863, the diary entries are less frequent. In April 1864, Cornelius
described some of the events of the previous months, including Christmas, which was
pleasant in spite of the war and the absence of slaves, who had fled to the protection
of the Northern troops. The next entry is dated 7 October 1864. In the preceding six
months, his brother Alfred had been wounded and his Uncle Bushrod was taken prisoner.

On 19 January 1865, Cornelius was back at the University of Virginia boarding with
Dr. Broaddus. The next entry is dated 7 April 1865. In it, Cornelius described his
return to his home in February and being forced to walk back to the University of
Virginia. He had just heard that Richmond had been evacuated and was debating whether
to return home or remain where he was.

Cornelius did not write again until August 1868. His remaining three entries--dated
5 August 1868, 12 November 1868, and 9 February 1869-- relate to his efforts after
the war to support himself by teaching school. He taught for a time at his parent's
home in King William County, and later went to teach in association with his brother-in-law,
Dr. Tucker, in Magnolia, Miss.